Magnetic target game for iron containing projectile



Sept. 8, 1964 R. l. MILLAR 3,147,976

MAGNETIC TARGET GAME FOR IRON com/mums PROJECTILE Filed Dec. 3, 1962 IN VEN TOR. I. MILLAR RAYMOND ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,147,976 MAGNETIC TARGET GAME FOR IRON CONTAINING PROJECTILE Raymond I. Millar, Providence, RJ. (RED. 1, Box 230, Voluntown, Conn.) Filed Dec. 3, 1962, Ser. No. 241,621 1 Claim. (Ci. 273106.5)

This invention relates to a game of the target type in which a projectile is thrown to a target.

Heretofore in games of this general type, some sort of target has been provided With a surface of a sufficiently soft character so that a pointed instrument, such as a dart, may be thrown at the target and will penetrate the surface of the target sufliciently to maintain the dart in position thereon. A game of this character after substantial use causes the gameboard to be so perforated or chewed up by the darts which stick into the surface thereof that the face of the board requires replacement.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a target board which will not be chewed up or disfigured as the projectile strikes its surface.

Another object of the invention is to provide a target board and projectile type of game which will simplify scoring by arranging for scoring only when the projectile stays in a scoring position on the board, whereas if it does not stay on the board, no scon'ng will occur.

Another object of the invention is to provide a target board and projectile of such characters that the projectile will stay on the board after hitting the same only in the locations where scoring may occur, but should the projectile strike in other locations, the projectile will drop from the board and provide no score.

Another object of the invention is to provide a head for the projectile which will be of an inertia absorbing quality so that it will not rebound therefrom.

More specifically, an object of this invention is to utilize a magnetic force for holding the projectile onto the board when it strikes in the area of the magnetic force.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the target board arranged in an easel-like fashion;

FIG. 2 is a section taken substantially centrally vertically through the board;

FIG. 3 is an elevation of the projectile;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view through the head of the projectile; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the target board with the projectile held in position thereon.

In proceeding with this invention, I provide a target board which carries magnets in various locations and in accordance with the predetermined pattern on .the board, and I provide a projectile which will have magnetically attractable material loosely contained in a bag so that when the projectile strikes a flat surface, it will squash out into a somewhat flattened character absorbing the inertia of the projectile and thus gradually slowing down the projectile in its flight, preventing rebound from the board which the projectile strikes and permitting the magnets on the gameboard to hold the projectile in place if the projectile strikes within a certain area about the magnet.

With reference to the drawings, the gameboard designated generally is supported in an emel-like manner by legs 11 pivoted as at 12 to the target board. A suitable brace 13 pivoted as at 14 serves to hold the legs in the desired position relative to the target board.

3,147,9'Z6 Patented Sept. 8, 1964 The target board comprises a shallow tray-like part 15 of any suitable material having a back wall 16, top wall 17 and bottom wall 18 and opposite side walls 19. Cross members 20 of a depth substantially the depth of the enclosing walls 17, 18 and 13 extend between the opposite side walls 19 and these cross members 20 are provided with recesses 21 into which at suitable locations one or more magnets 22 may be positioned. In the cross members 20 shown at the upper portion of the target board, there is a single magnet 22 positioned in a location such as seen in FIG. 1 at the marking 22, while in another cross member 23, there may be a magnet 24 positioned also as seen in the location 24' which this assumes in FIG. 1, while in the cross member 25 there may be a center magnet 26 positioned as at 26 in FIG. 1 while other magnets may be provided in this same cross member so as to be located as indicated at 27 and 28' in FIG. 1.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 5, there will be a face member 30 extending across the face of the tray-like frame which will cover the magnets as shown in FIG. 2, and there will be marked on this cover plate circles which will be at the bottom of the various magnets which are provided back of this cover plate, and conveniently rings will be provided concentric with the center magnet 26 showing the relative spacing of the other magnets and the location of these other magnets in quarters as seen in FIG. 1.

In the illustrative embodiment, the projectile is designated generally 31 and comprises a bag 32 which contains magnetically attractable small particles of material 33 which may be ferrous material or perhaps some alloys of material known to have magnetic properties, the particles being granulated, shredded, or powdered. These small particles are contained within the bag 32, but the bag is not tightly packed but rather of a sufiicient size so that the magnetically at-tractable material will be loose therein, there being spaces as at 34 as shown in FIG. 34. This bag may be secured at the end of a trailing shaft 35 of the projectile which serves as a handle for throwing the projectile toward the target board or used as a bean bag without the shaft.

When this projectile is thrown toward the target board, attempts are made to strike the target board at the location of the magnets, various magnets having different scoring possibilities on the gameboard. Thus, I have shown the center magnet 26 at 26 as arranged having a scoring value of 100, the magnets at the top 22 and either side 27', 28 having a scoring value of 50 and the magnet 24 at the bottom 24' having a scoring value of 25. If this projectile strikes in the are-a of any one of thwe magnets, it will squash down as its inertia is absorbed so as to flatten out as shown at 36 in FIG. 5, this being permitted because of the loose character of the magnetically attractable material in the bag, and this flattening out serves the function of spreading the magnetic material in a larger area so that the magnets will be more effective thereon and thus flattening out also absorb some of the inertia of the projectile so that it will not rebound from the target board 30 by any resilience thereof. Thus, this shock-absorbing type of end enables the projectile to be held by the magnet as it strikes the target board within the area of magnetic force where the magnet is located and it will be held thereon in the position such as shown in FIG. 5.

If the projectile is held onto the the target board, a scoring will then be had by reason of the proximity which it has to the particular magnet marked with the scoring possibilities. However, if the projectile strikes a location other than where the magnets are located, it will fall from the board and there will be no dispute as to ice whether or not the projectile is on a line or should or should not be in a scoring position.

I claim:

A game comprising a target board, a magnet carried by said board, a projectile comprising a multiplicity of small iron particles, a flexible bag containing said particles and of a size larger than the volume of said particles so that the particles are loosely disposed in the bag and capable of shifting their position therein as the bag strikes the game board so as to spread as they strike the game board and absorb some of the inertia of the projectile,

4. said projectile being of Weight relative to the power of the magnet to be held in position on the game board in proximity to a magnet carried thereon, said bag forming the head of said projectile and a shaft extending from 5 the bag as a trailing portion of said projectile.

Day Sept. 12, 1933 Maldonado May 28, 1963 

